


Trypanophobia

by pidgethegreatgunderson



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Fear, Female Pronouns for Pidge | Katie Holt, Gen, Happy Ending, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Needles, Pidge | Katie Holt-centric, Space Dad Shiro (Voltron)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-13
Updated: 2018-10-13
Packaged: 2019-08-01 08:30:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 854
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16281128
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pidgethegreatgunderson/pseuds/pidgethegreatgunderson
Summary: Pidge doesn't like needles. She REALLY doesn't like needles. So Space Dad comes to the rescue by somehow managing to talk her out of a vent.





	Trypanophobia

**Author's Note:**

> Why do I torture my baby like this? I don't know. Enjoy my creation.

Pidge sighed from her spot in the vents. They had barely been in the castle a week and Princess Allura had already asked for all their medical information to be loaded into the ship’s computers. Thankfully all they needed was a blood test and a body scan. Unfortunately Pidge was afraid of needles. 

She curled up smaller in the curve of the vent, hoping no one would think to look there. She heard a squeak. She turned and saw one of the space mice staring at her. Uh oh, this was bad. She flapped her hands at the mouse.  
“Shoo! Go away and don’t tell anyone where I am.”   
“Pidge, I know you’re in there, come out.”  
She sighed as the Princess’ voice filtered through the vent. Too late.  
“No. I’m not coming out.”   
“Pidge, if you are not out of this vent in five ticks I’ll go and get Shiro.”  
Five ticks passed. Pidge was still in the vent with no intention of coming out.  
“Alright, I’m getting Shiro”.

Pidge waited until she left and then clambered out of the vent intending to find another hiding place before the Princess returned. But before she could get very far Allura appeared with Shiro close behind. Pidge’s eyes widened and she gapped it to the vent she was previously in, Shiro racing after her. She just managed to squeeze far enough into the vent that Shiro couldn't reach her. Shiro sighed.

“Pidge, you need to get these tests done. If you get hurt, we might not know how to help you.”  
She shook her head rapidly, sliding further into the vent. Shiro sat down outside the opening.   
“Look, why don't you tell me why you don't want them done”  
Once more she shook her head, not trusting her voice.  
“Is it the scan?”  
Again she shook her head.  
“Is it the blood test? Are you afraid of needles?”   
She hesitated before nodding, tears starting to leak out of her eyes.   
“If you come out, I won't force you down to the med bay. We can just sit for a bit okay?” 

She slowly crawled out of the vent looking at Allura warily. Shiro noticed.  
“Allura’s not going to take you either, it’s okay to be scared”  
She jumped out of the vent and into Shiro's arms crying. He knelt down and held her as she shook.   
“Hey, it's all gonna be okay. Don't worry you'll be fine. It's okay. It's okay.”  
Pidge finally spoke.   
“I don't like them, they scare me”  
“I know, they are a bit freaky, but it's just a part of life. You have to learn to live with it. Okay?”   
She nodded into his chest.   
“Now, shall we go get this over and done with?”  
She nodded again.  
“Can you stay with me?”   
“Of course”. 

Allura’s gaze softened as she watched the exchange. She had no idea humans were so fragile. Shiro walked up to her after Pidge had let him stand up, still clinging to his side.   
“That's just something you need to know about humans. We get scared sometimes.”  
Pidge cuddled closer.

When they finally got down to the med bay, Shiro sat Pidge down on the gurney. Coran approached them with what looked like an Altean version of a hypodermic needle.   
“Now, I understand Number 5 here is a bit scared, so shall we do this quickly?”  
He set the needle down on a bench and rolled up Pidge’s sleeve. Pidge turned to look at the needle but Shiro turned her around.   
“Don't look at it. Just let it happen”. 

“Ready over there?” Coran asked.  
“Yep”  
Pidge suddenly felt a prick in her arm. She buried her face in Shiro's shoulder.   
“Aaand done! See, that wasn't so bad was it?”  
Pidge looked up to see a tiny dot of blood on her arm before it was covered with a space sticking plaster.   
“Now all that's left is the body scan, which shouldn't take long.”

Coran was true to his words, the scan took less than a minute and just tingled a bit. Allura entered the room just after Pidge left to go code something.   
“Shiro, can I talk to you for a minute?”  
Shiro turned around from where he was looking at a data pad.   
“Sure”.  
Allura looked uncomfortable.  
“It's about earlier, with Pidge. I'm sorry if I scared her even more, I don't have much experience with children.”  
Shiro laughed.  
“No, it wasn't you. Matt told me about how many times he's had to calm Katie down from panic attacks while we were flying out to Kerberos. I had heard what to do so many times that I knew how to deal with it. If I hadn't known, we would probably still be up there talking her out of the vent.”  
Allura sighed in relief.   
“That puts my mind at ease. Thanks Shiro. Honestly, what would we do without you.”  
She paused for a moment. “You know, Shiro, you remind me of my father. You're kind of like… a space dad to all the Paladins.”  
Shiro laughed again.  
“Space dad, huh? Has a nice ring to it”


End file.
